One of the coolest tributes I’ve ever seen came in January at Brother Rice. Andrew Weishar, a Brother Rice alum who died of cancer at age 21 the previous fall, was honored before a boys basketball battle against bitter rival Marist and a couple of mats covering the walls were unveiled in his honor because he was the type of kid who would slam into a wall to keep the ball inbounds. Nearly a year after his death, friends and family are all but running through a wall to raise money for some of Andrew’s favorite causes. The Andrew Weishar Foundation’s mission is to send money to groups such as Cancer for College, the St. Damian Educate a Child Fund and the Illinois Wesleyan School Fund. The foundation is also raising money to aid families battling cancer or other life-changing illnesses. One of the ways the foundation is trying to make big bucks for these organizations is the first ever Weishfest. And this bash isn’t a small endeavor. The event takes place from 2 p.m. to midnight Sunday at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood. For $20 admission, folks can watch entertainment from Trippin’ Billies, Infinity and Sean and Charlie. For $50, you get all the food and beer and pop you can eat and drink. There are signs all over the area for this event and last week I saw someone spelled out WEISHFEST using plastic cups trough the holes of a chain link fence on the overpass along 294 near the western suburbs. As a rule, I don’t tell people where to go and how to spend their money because there are so many great causes out there. But this sounds like a pretty special fundraiser that will benefit a lot of people and may be around for a long time.

Ready for some football The high school football season is starting Friday night and our area teams will compete in nine games Friday and Saturday. This is one of my favorite times of the year. And hopefully it will be even more fun this year as the Reporter and Regional will hold its footballExpect some high-flying action starting Friday when high school football opens up over the weekend. picks in the sports section. Five fine experts will battle it out for bragging rights to see who will become the champion picker. While we realize that some teams that we don’t pick will be mad at us and claim we don’t respect them and try to use this for motivation, we still want to keep it light and fun. Sports editor Ken Karrson, myself and Anthony Nasella have oh, about three quarters of a century of sports writing experience. Former Reporter Editor Jason Maholy said he wants to be in on the action. And reader Wally Findysz of Worth will also be picking. Wally said he is the vice president of K&S Precision Metals, teaches a marriage enrichment class for Oak Lawn Bible Church and played football and baseball for St. Rita High School and baseball at Bellarmine University in Louisville. He said he’s been watching and reading about Illinois high school football for 25 years, so he is going to give us a run for our money. Let the games begin…

Nerd dating There is an old news phrase “if it bleed, it leads.” With this column, the philosophy is that “if it makes me grin — it’s in.” After going through hundreds of emails a day, I enjoy those that make me chuckle and guffaw. One of them came the other day. It was labeled Speed Dating for Nerds. The literary genius who wrote this prose deserves a prize. “Be a star during quick connections with other smart singles at a celebrigeek themed mixer,” it says. “Strike a pose during one on one matches, then rotate seats to meet more single hot shots. “Grant exclusive interviews using a selection of optional, nerd inspired conversation prompts. “Share your 15 minutes of fame during a Shake it Like a Polaroid post round mingler where attendees show off their moments in the nerd spotlight. “Send and receive fan mail throughout the evening using a personal letterbox. “Get red carpet ready with prizes like paparazzi sunglasses, Super Mario bling and Star Trek money clips. “And, toast your success with drink specials like the Laureate (a prize worthy concoction of Goldschlager, Southern Comfort and Sprite), the Indie Rocker (a vintage cocktail with gin, champagne and a dark twist of bitters) and the Tech Titan (whiskey and lager disrupted with mint and sugar).” This affair will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace St. in Chicago. The phone number for more information is (855) 637-3568, which translates to (855) NERD-LOVE.

The ultimate WHAT? Continuing along with the giggle-worthy events, if you happen to in the Macomb area Friday, a dude by the name of Joe Decker, who the Guiness Book of World Records calls the “World’s Fittest Man” will put on quite a show. This guy will put on a show called “The Ultimate Suck” which already has my inner Beavis activated. This is a 36-hour race for the tough guys or a mere 12-hour mini-option for who I assume are the pantywaists of the group. “With The Suck, I want to bring awareness about this type of event to the Midwest, which traditionally does not offer anything like this,” Decker said in a news release. “Generally, fitness tests like The Suck are offered on the coasts or in the Rockies. The 12-hour race will start the same time as the 36-hour race, but will only be roughly one-third of the events. “My goal is to combine Midwestern farm chores with military boot camp, trail running, strongman training, basic survival skills and whatever else somewhat punishing, but enjoyable, activities I can come up with. I would strongly suggest competitors get proficient at all the military physical training tests and standards.”